Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made it clear in Parliament on Friday that salaried people can change their tax system as many times as they want. “If people choose the new tax system, they can revert to the old tax system again and go back to the new system as many times as they want to, the FM said.”
However, professionals and businesses who choose the new system will get only one chance to go back to the old system, after that they will not be able to make changes, sources reported the minister as saying to Members of the Parliament.
“We are also making the new income tax regime the default tax regime. However, citizens will continue to have the option to avail the benefit of the old tax regime,” the FM said in her Budget speech.
The tax slabs have also been brought down to five from six, raising the tax exemption limit from Rs2.5 lakh to Rs3 lakh. To encourage more assesses to switch to the new regime, the budget also proposed to introduce a Rs 50,000 standard deduction, which was so far available only under the old regime.
The new tax slab rates applicable from 2023-24 under the new tax regime are up to Rs 3 lakh it will be nil; from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 6 lakh income (5 per cent will be taxed); from Rs 6 lakh – Rs9 lakh (10 per cent); from Rs 9 lakh - Rs 12 lakh (the tax is 15 per cent); Rs 12 lakh to Rs 15 lakh (20 per cent) and above Rs 15 lakh it is 30 per cent.